Holiday at The Red Sea

Egyptians consider themselves spontaneous. Amir's father Jideed received a phone call from a family friend, and within the hour we were packed and ready for the beach. Walking down three flights of stairs, we arrived in front of the Beshay's building, which is on a normal Cairien street in the neighborhood of Agouza which is off the west bank of the Nile. The agenda for the day was set aside, and we loaded up in the car and headed out into the cloudy polluted streets of the city. Let me say this city can be a bit overwhelming. It almost seems impossible for such a chaotic mess to actually function for so many people. Yesterday was a particularly bad day for pollution and the entire time we were in the city outdoors it felt like I was breathing in a garage with a car running. We headed east towards the sea and I was given another informal tour of sites as we passed them. At one point we drove through not much more than an alley in a vast cemetery on our route east. Eventually we made it out of the old city and into an area which is called "new Cairo" and beyond that to the normal Egyptian desert. We pulled aside and waited for the rest of the vacationers to catch up. When they pulled up in their SUV, Amir and I rotated into it to allow the kids to have the back seat of Amir's parent's car. We rode another hour to a compound on the edge of the Red Sea and parked. Two other families (all the husbands were elders at the Beshay's church) arrived and the adults began "a good Egyptian breakfast". (beginning at 1pm.) I tried to explain how it's actually lunch or stretching brunch, but I didn't get very far with that line of reasoning.

Once Amir and I got in the back seat of the SUV earlier there began the pattern of the rest of the day: everybody speaking in Arabic and me sitting there for hours, listening and LEARNING. It was great. Of course members of the families would break away to explain this joke or that story in English, and Amir would sometimes translate in my ear, but otherwise I was lovingly left to listen and participate in my broken Arabic however possible. This is the perfect environment for language learning. I loved it!

After "breakfast" in George #1 and Hanan's condo I rode in the car while Amir drove and his mother instructed (he is getting his license in four months and uses time outside of the city as an opportunity to practice. Of course a quiet compound at the sea doesn't even compare to the chaos of driving on the streets of Cairo, so he has a long way to go!) Anyway, we drove and everybody else walked down to the beach. Once there we all sat in the sand and talked. George #2 spoke the least amount of english out of the group was the source of most of the laughter throughout the day. While the topic of lunch was discussed, he suggested to me we go to "pizzta hut, one stuft cruft pizzta, with cheese and cake, and sliced egyptian nuts" of course we all laughed and laughed at this. It became the rolling joke throughout the day. Earlier he (and his wife) had conveyed the story of their honeymoon in cyprus where he wanted to find the time at an expensive restaurant and asked the waiter very politely while tapping his wrist in gesture "What color is it please?" Of course, much laughter. George #2 was bald and therefore wrapped his wife's head scarf over his head like a woman to shield the sun. George #1 told him it was "Muanith Geddin" which means "very feminine". Later, while coming back to the group during a game, I addressed him "George Gemeela" which means Beautiful George (but with a feminine adjective) Surprised, (at my mad Arabic skills) everyone burst out laughing--including George #2.

So this was the rule of the day. Me not knowing anything, but still a part of the fun, much relaxation, good people, the sea on a nice day, and in the end we did go to Pizza Hut (at 9pm for "lunch") and not one of us ordered the Stuft Cruft pizza.


The Beach, Red Sea


Walking back from the beach (Nahar, Gimel, Amir, Hanan, & Noar)